the lion of the russian army - Florida State University

one rubles is in fact worth 28 kopeikas.” 123 The contemporaries were also confused by his
positive attitude to the crossing. A contemporary wrote,
“Bagration is given a corps of some 30,000 men and ordered to cross the
gulf on ice to occupy Stockholm. Everyone considers this expedition
reckless [bezrazsudnii] and the corps destined to perish. [Perhaps] it
would be easy to seize the capital, but how would [Bagration] hold it
against superior forces of the entire [Swedish] kingdom? When the ice
would break [in the gulf] any communications [with the main Russian
army] would be severed. It is incredible that Bagration agreed to
accomplish such absurdity [nelepost].” 124
By early March 1809, Bagration’s troops, deployed between Åbo and Nystadt,
were comprised of thirty battalions of infantry, four squadrons of cavalry and 600
Cossacks for a total of some 17,000 men with twenty cannon. 125 According to the plan of
action, Bagration was to move his troops to Kumlinge; from there he would advance in
four columns across Vårdö Island towards the main Island of Åland. Simultaneously, the
fifth column would proceed from Sottunga in a flanking maneuver southward to western
part of Åland Island to cut the Swedish line of retreat. Two other columns comprised of
the reserves. 126 The Swedes had some 10,000 men (6,000 regulars and 4,000 militia)
under an energetic commander, General Georg Carl von Döbeln, who was already
123 100 kopeikas equaled one ruble. Excerpts from Bagration’s letter to Vasilii Dolgoruky are
in Alexander Bulgakov to Jacob Bulgakov, 29 February 1809, Russkii arkhiv, 37/1 (1898), 584.
560.
124 Alexander Bulgakov to Jacob Bulgakov, 17 February 1809, Russkii arkhiv, 37/1 (1898):
125 Bagration’s infantry comprised of three battalions of Life Guard Preobrazhensky, Life
Guard Izmailovsky and Life Guard Jager Regiments, 1 st , 2 nd , 30 th and 31 st Jager, Belozersk,
Petrovsk, Pernov, Libava, Neva, Brest, Wilmanstrand, Ryazan and Keksholm Regiments, and a
battalion of Velikii Lutsk regiment. The cavalry consisted of four squadrons of Grodno Hussars,
Life Guard Cossack Regiment, 100 Ural Cossacks, Isaev’s and Loshilin’s Cossack Regiments and
a company of sappers. Thus, Bagration had 15,622 infantry, 893 cavalry, 307 gunners, and 155
engineers, for a total of 16,977 men. Knorring to Alexander, 8 March 1809, in Mikhailovsky-
Danilevsky, War in Finland, 371; Ordin, Conquest of Finland, 418. Hornborg, När Riket
Sprängdes, 235.
126 Bagration to Knorring, 18 April 1809, Correspondence of Bagration, 50; Mikhailovsky-
Danilevsky, War in Finland, 371-72, 376; Ordin, Conquest of Finland, 418.
464